Located on the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis, NC, the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory features a beautiful copper standing seam roof that is the perfect complement to the facility’s brick exterior. The focal point of the laboratory’s roof is a majestic copper dome topped by a 10’-high copper finial, created from copper supplied by Ornametals Manufacturing, LLC.

The research campus – which hosts world-class scientific researchers and resources – is situated on the former site of Cannon Mills, once the world’s largest manufacturer of sheets and towels with approximately 25,000 employees. Completed in 2007, the David H. Murdock Core Laboratory is the first building on the campus and serves as its centerpiece.

Ornametals supplied 16 oz. copper that was formed into radiused standing seam panels for the dome. Metal panels are often used for historic dome applications like this because of their ability to effectively execute such a challenging application. Copper was selected for this project due to the aesthetics and longevity that it offers. Together, work on the dome and 10’-high finial totaled $200,000.

The project architect was Creech & Associates of Charlotte, NC. The general contractor was Baker Roofing Inc. of Raleigh, NC. Copperworks Corporation of Decatur, AL, installed the copper dome and finial.